Auctions

News about Auctions, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 19, 2015

German government's proposal to restrict art exported for sale in effort to retain certain works as global market surges draws outcry from some artists, gallery owners, dealers and collectors; law would designate artworks over 50 years old and valued at 150,000 euros as national treasures; painter Georg Baselitz has withdrawn works from Albertinum modern art museum in Dresden in protest. MORE

Jul. 17, 2015

Jul. 8, 2015

Bridal show auction at Down the Aisle store in Atlanta features products seized after conviction of Alaskan woman who smuggled heroin and methamphetamines into state; event, organized by General Services Admin, is unique in that agency curated collection and converted large conference rooms in order to give potential buyers better shopping experience. MORE

Jun. 22, 2015

Watercolor of Neuschwanstein Castle presumed painted by Adolph Hitler is sold for $113,000 to unnamed buyer from China at Weidler auction house in Nuremberg, Germany; painting was one of 14 auctioned works believed to be painted by Hitler from 1904 to 1922. MORE

Jun. 19, 2015

Eve M Kahn Antiques column; Archives International Auctions will sell thousands of 19th-century graphics and medals designed by engraver Rudolph P Laubenheimer. MORE

Jun. 19, 2015

Eve M Kahn Inside Art column; whale bone and tooth carvings collected by welding supply magnate Thomas Mittler is subject of Nina Hellman book Through the Eyes of a Collector: The Scrimshaw Collection of Thomas Mittler; much of collection discussed in book will be sold by Northeast Auctions. MORE

Jun. 12, 2015

Christie's will auction set of six letters written by novelist Harper Lee to her friend architect Harold Caufield; letters, written between 1956 and 1961 and offering rare glimpse into Lee's private life, are expected to bring as much as $250,000. MORE

Jun. 2, 2015

Gustav Klimt 1902 painting Portrait of Gertrud Loew, which was owned privately for more than 100 years, will be auctioned at Sotheby's in London in June; painting is expected to fetch $18 to $28 million and proceeds will be shared by Klimt Foundation and Felsovanyi family, heirs of the painting's subject. MORE

May. 30, 2015

Paul Sullivan Wealth Matters column gives pointers to collectors who want to sell their artifacts at auction or galleries; notes D Brent Pogue's rare coin collection is estimated to bring more than $200 million. MORE

May. 29, 2015

Inside Art column; The Holy Virgin Mary, controversial 1996 painting by Chris Ofili, will be auctioned by Christie's in London. MORE

May. 29, 2015

May. 15, 2015

Christie's has sales of $202.6 million at its auction of Impressionist and modern art; Phillips's realizes $97.2 million at its auction of contemporary art. MORE

May. 14, 2015

Christie's reaches a first in art world, becoming first auction house to sell more than $1 billion worth of art in a week; reports combined totals of auction of postwar and contemporary art of $658.5 million and 20th-century art auction of $705.9 million; milestone is symbolic victory for Christie's over its rival Sotheby's, and is indication of way art has become investment and status symbol worth vying for among world's most affluent people. MORE

May. 14, 2015

The Upshot; record high prices paid for famous artworks at recent auctions is clear illustration of growing wealth disparity worldwide. MORE

May. 6, 2015

May. 6, 2015

Sotheby's sells Vincent van Gogh painting L’allee Des Alyscamps for $66.3 million at auction of Impressionist and modern art that brings in total of $368 million. MORE

May. 4, 2015

Japanese American National Museum acquires collection of artifacts created by Japanese Americans while in internment camps during World War II; collection of over 450 pieces had originally been planned for sale by Lambertville, NJ, auction house Rago, but was canceled after worldwide protests on social media. MORE

Apr. 20, 2015

Decision by Christie's to hold its Impressionist and Modern Art evening auction in second week of May, rather than first, has reverberated through art world, with some welcoming decision and others complaining it is disruptive; Christie's says it made move in order to avoid clash with Venice Biennale. MORE

Apr. 18, 2015

Connecticut man John Ryan comes forward as seller after Rago Arts and Auction Center cancels controversial sale of art and artifacts made in internment camps by Japanese-Americans during World War II; Ryan inherited collection from his father, who acquired it under disputed circumstances from daughter of Allen Hendershott Eaton who was given items by internees when he was writing book on subject in 1950s. MORE

Apr. 16, 2015

“There was a moment of silence and then everyone started applauding happily,” wrote Toshi Abe, a board member of the Japanese American Citizens League. MORE

Apr. 13, 2015

A Japanese-American group wants to stop a collection of artifacts from World War II interment camps from being dispersed on the market. MORE

Apr. 5, 2015

Bonhams New York auctions an eclectic collection of personal belongings from estate of actress Lauren Bacall. MORE

Apr. 2, 2015

EBay streams two Sotheby's auctions for first time since two entities struck deal in July 2014, and allows users to place bids online in real time along with on-site and telephone bidders. MORE

Mar. 29, 2015

Bonhams auction house will sell eclectic collection of art and antiques amassed by actress Lauren Bacall from time she bought apartment in Dakota building in 1961 to her death in 2014; Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology will host small exhibit of Bacall's garments in April. MORE

Mar. 25, 2015

Mar. 19, 2015

Art collection of early movie producer Samuel Goldwyn, including paintings by Picasso and Matisse, will be offered in nine sales by Sotheby's in New York. MORE

Mar. 16, 2015

Christie's sale of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth's private art collection, one of finest private collections of Asian art in West with presale estimate of $35 million, is highlight of annual Asia Week in New York. MORE

Mar. 8, 2015

Artwork sold at Christie's auction in 2013, thought to be copy of work by 19th-century painter John Constable that sold for around $5,200, is reassessed as original work and later sold at Sotheby's auction for $5.2 million; startling jump in price and continuing question of provenance offers glimpse into often imprecise field of identifying authorship of artworks. MORE

Feb. 28, 2015

Nobel medal awarded in 1971 to economist Simon Kuznets sells at auction by Nate D Sanders Auctions for $390,848; is first medal from field of economics ever sold. MORE

Feb. 25, 2015

Upcoming auction of Nobel prize won by economist Simon Kuznets in 1971 highlights difficulty of pricing an object with little market history; only handful of Nobel prizes have been auctioned in the past, with prices ranging from the low five figures to the millions; opening bid for Kuznets's medal will be $150,000, though it remains unclear whether his accomplishments are well-known enough to fetch a high price. MORE

Feb. 24, 2015

Bloomsbury Auctions in London will sell off over 1,100 original photographs from early age of space exploration; sale is expected to bring $750,00 to $1 million. MORE

Feb. 21, 2015

Indian Prime Min Narendra Modi sells over 450 gifts he has received while in office, including controversial pinstriped suit he wore to meed Pres Barack Obama, in auction to benefit campaign to clean Ganges River. MORE

Feb. 20, 2015

Jim Irsay, owner and chief executive of the Indianapolis Colts, purchases Les Paul guitar known as Black Beauty that helped usher in era of electronic guitars at Guernsey's auction in Manhattan for $335,500. MORE

Feb. 16, 2015

Notes and manuscripts to enigmatic Don McLean song American Pie will be auctioned at Christie's in April. MORE

Feb. 13, 2015

Scott Reyburn Inside Art column; art market bubble shows no signs of bursting as contemporary works at Sotheby's and Christie's London auctions bring high prices from bidders around world. MORE

Feb. 10, 2015

Guernsey's prepares to auction Black Beauty, early prototype of Les Paul's seminal electric guitar model; guitar could fetch as much as $2 million. MORE

Jan. 19, 2015

British judge finds that auction house Sotheby's was not negligent in selling Caravaggio painting The Cardsharps for 42,000 pounds when it was worth 10 million pounds. MORE

Jan. 8, 2015

Many auction houses, like Sotheby's and Christie's, return to practice of offering guarantees to clients wanting to sell their art, despite financial risk that has burned them in the past; experts note that competition is key driver of shift as houses are engaged in fierce competition for high quality works. MORE

Jan. 8, 2015

Auction preview of furniture and photography created by Shiro Kuramata and Hiroshi Sugimoto, respectively, is on view at Wright's New York gallery. MORE

Dec. 30, 2014

Museums Association in Britain tightens code of ethics and imposes tougher sanctions in hopes of discouraging struggling museums from selling off antiquities. MORE

Dec. 21, 2014

Chuck Klosterman The Ethicist column answers questions about whether to divulge one's sex on job application, bidding in real estate auction and whether to alert company to fact that employee is watching pornography at work. MORE

Dec. 18, 2014

Contents of Caribou Ranch in Boulder, Colo, once a haven for rock stars to produce records or just hang out, will be auctioned off on Jan 24; ranch was sold earlier in 2014. MORE

Dec. 17, 2014

Aalsmeer Journal; auction system for flowers centered in Aalsmeer, Netherlands, is in midst of upheaval due to changes in global transportation network and growth of presales and direct shipping. MORE

Dec. 13, 2014

Universities are marketing packages for sports fans allowing them to connect directly with players and teams; winning bidders of online auctions in 2014 have watched games from press box, sat behind team bench or stood just outside end zone for final minutes of football games. MORE

Dec. 11, 2014

Q&A with vintage computer enthusiast Corey Cohen in which he discusses how he became go-to specialist for assessing vintage computers for auction houses and collectors; describes how he places value on old machines; Christie's auction house has called in Cohen to examine 'Ricketts' Apple-1 computer for auction. MORE

Dec. 10, 2014

Russian entrepreneur and philanthropist Alisher Usmanov reveals himself to be anonymous telephone bidder who paid $4.1 million for James D Watson’s 1962 Nobel Prize at Christie's auction; says he will return medal to Watson. MORE